NT

DewieCox

I thought the movie was 10x better than the book. The book just got sidetracked too much with the author's opinion. I wanted to read it to form my own opinion on him. It kinda turned me on Supertramp in a way. I was reading it on a curved scale if ya know what I mean.

McCandless had some mental issues, but I don't think he had a real mental illness. The fact that with any planning at all, he coulda survived makes people think he had a deathwish, but I just think he was stubborn. He seemed to me to be a spoiled baby with a mommy/daddy issues.

polaris_x

Jason P wrote:

I think the story offered many perspectives that are dependent on the viewer's (or reader's) ideologies and personality. I agree that most people that spend significant time in the wilderness put their lives in danger as I've had many close calls. My biggest problem with Chris' story is that he continued to throw caution to the wind and not learn from his mistakes and close calls.

My take from both reading the book and watching the movies is that he was mentally instable. No one in their right mind treks off into the Alaskan wilderness without a map or compass unless your not particularly concerned about returning.

your evaluation that he was mentally unstable is based strictly on your perceptions of what is sane and not sane ... there are kids who do 200 ft drops in white water boats into small pools ... some would argue they are mentally unstable ... the reality is that no one does the things chris did because we are constricted by social confines ... and i'm not just referring to going to alaska ... i'm talking about divesting oneself of materialistic obsession ... forging true relationships ... etc ...

chris paid the ultimate sacrifice for his decisions ... but it was his decision and his choice ... for sure, he could have been better prepared and i'm not by any means suggesting people just show up in denali with a pair of rubber boots and a few books ... it's about charting your own path ... the follow that road that is yet nameless ... that is what the book and movie meant to me ...

Jason P

polaris_x wrote:

Jason P wrote:

I think the story offered many perspectives that are dependent on the viewer's (or reader's) ideologies and personality. I agree that most people that spend significant time in the wilderness put their lives in danger as I've had many close calls. My biggest problem with Chris' story is that he continued to throw caution to the wind and not learn from his mistakes and close calls.

My take from both reading the book and watching the movies is that he was mentally instable. No one in their right mind treks off into the Alaskan wilderness without a map or compass unless your not particularly concerned about returning.

your evaluation that he was mentally unstable is based strictly on your perceptions of what is sane and not sane ... there are kids who do 200 ft drops in white water boats into small pools ... some would argue they are mentally unstable ... the reality is that no one does the things chris did because we are constricted by social confines ... and i'm not just referring to going to alaska ... i'm talking about divesting oneself of materialistic obsession ... forging true relationships ... etc ...

chris paid the ultimate sacrifice for his decisions ... but it was his decision and his choice ... for sure, he could have been better prepared and i'm not by any means suggesting people just show up in denali with a pair of rubber boots and a few books ... it's about charting your own path ... the follow that road that is yet nameless ... that is what the book and movie meant to me ...

I'm guessing that those that do 200' drops in kayaks start off with 5' drops and slowly work their way up. My main issue is that learning to live in the wilderness and outside our social constrains has a very slow learning curve. I hope people that read the book are inspired by it, but not to the point where they throw caution to the wind. Learn the basics, and then go explore.

blondieblue227

i've done some stupid things when i was young. didn't kill me thou but it could've. difference is nobody wrote a book that detailed my stupidity and i didn't die. ok? so?
people get too hung up on that.
he didn't take a map because he wanted to be where nobody had been. HE wanted to discover that. weird concept for some, but i get it.
i woulda physic-ed myself out. take a map but lied to myself that i had it and only looked at it if i was about to die.